Gathering Fragments

What is it about nests that I love so much? The partnership of fragility and strength in one form. The innate creativity that drives creatures to build these vessels whose purpose is to house and nurture. The beauty of the architecture of these temporal homes. The collecting and gathering and weaving in and out of disparate items to make a whole. I feel like there is a story within these natural vessels.

All of the above. And so I collect images of nests to inspire my artwork and I also collect actual nests, often given to me by friends who know that I will love the nest and use it in my artwork or keep it as a thing of beauty and inspiration.

collection of nest and other natural objects on a studio shelf

“Tell the story, gather the events, repeat them. Pattern is a matter of upkeep. Otherwise the weave relaxes back to threads picked up by birds to make their nests. Repeat, or the story will fall and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men. . . . Repeat, and cradle the pieces carefully, or events will scatter like marbles on a wooden floor.” – Ann Marie
MacDonald